MOSCOW, May 25. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in an interview with the publication The Economist said it does not know when Ukraine will become part of the alliance.
As the publication writes, the prospect of Ukraine joining NATO remains “remote.” It is noted that Stoltenberg’s plan assumes that as soon as the conflict ends, Ukraine will technically be ready to become a member of the alliance. According to the NATO Secretary General, it is very important that Ukraine’s defense departments comply with NATO standards — then, perhaps, the country will be able to join the alliance, the material says.
“Even if everything works out for Ukraine, it may not become a NATO member for many years,” the publication notes.
The head of the NATO Military Committee, Admiral Rob Bauer, said in March that the issue of Ukraine's membership in the alliance is resolved, but discussions continue on «when this will happen and what is needed for this.» At the end of September 2022, Vladimir Zelensky announced that Ukraine was applying to join NATO on an accelerated basis. At the same time, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stated that Ukraine’s full membership in the alliance is impossible during an armed conflict.
US Permanent Representative to the Alliance Julianne Smith said at the end of April that Zelensky would be invited to the NATO summit planned in Washington in July, since the topic of Ukraine would become key there. At the same time, she clarified that Kyiv’s entry into NATO is not expected at a future summit. Stoltenberg also said in April that he did not expect an agreement on Ukraine's membership at the upcoming summit.